Please email your EOI to: kirsty@alolafoundation.org by 30 January 2024 if you are interested in joining us or would like to know more, and cc friendsofaileu@merri-bek.vic.gov.au

CERES Gathering for Aileu

When: 12 - 8pm, Sunday 25 February
Where: Pavilion, CERES Environment Park, need street address Brunswick East

Start the year with music, dance, art, food, drinks and much more at the CERES Gathering fundraising event.

Have an enjoyable afternoon and help raise funds to support Friends of Aileu partner organisations to provide learning and development opportunities for children and young people. These include art and culture, permaculture and conservation agriculture.

Thanks to the Victorian Multicultural Events Program the event will be free for all.

Friends of Aileu at the Sydney Road Street Party 2024

When: 12 - 6pm, Sunday 3 March 
Where: Sydney Road, Brunswick

Come say hello to Friends of Aileu at the Sydney Road Street Party next month.

Pick up delicious, freshly roasted Wild Timor Coffee (whole beans or ground), and take a look at the Timor-Leste craft items for sale.

The beloved Brunswick event will kick off the Brunswick Music Festival and

feature artists, makers, community groups, Sydney Road businesses, food and beverages and street stalls.

Follow updates on the Brunswick Music Festival Facebook Page

SAVE THE DATE: Trivia Quiz fundraiser for Aileu University Scholarship Program

When: 7-10pm, Thursday 2 May        Where: The iconic Brunswick Town Hall, 233 Sydney Road, Brunswick

Comedian Oliver Clark will be the MC.

Timor-Leste Study Tour 2024, with Kirsty Sword-Gusmao

Announcing Timor-Leste Study Tour 2024!

Highlights of next year’s Study Tour will include joining in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the 1999 vote for independence.

Please note initial RSVP deadline is Tuesday 30 January!

We’ll be retracing the steps I took on my first visit to occupied Timor-Leste in 1990 and meeting some of the incredible people who helped me in the course of my travels across the island.

Funds raised will go towards supporting the education programs of the amazing Canossian and Salesian nuns who have been pivotal to my personal journey and to the empowerment of countless Timorese girls and young women.

18th annual Aileu Expo 2023

The 18th annual Aileu Expo, with the theme 'Improving family economy by promoting local products', ran from 26 to 28 November.

The Expo, which is coordinated by the Aileu Resource and Training Centre with support from Friends of Aileu and the Aileu Municipal Administration, is always scheduled to coincide with the 28 November Public Holiday commemorating the 1975 Proclamation of Independence.

This year's Expo incorporated the tomada de posse (investing of rights and responsibilities) for the Chefes de Suku (Village Chiefs) who were recently elected for the period 2023 to 2030, and also the award of medallions recognising the service of some of Aileu's combatants of the liberation struggle.

The combined event, which is Aileu's biggest, brightest and most inclusive celebration of identity and culture, featured exhibits and sales by 18 local makers, creators and farmers, and attracted hundreds of people over the 3 days.

Friends of Aileu has supported the Expo since its inception in 2007.  Over that time it has grown from its tentative beginnings to become the much anticipated and well patronised event it is now, with the Aileu Resource and Training Centre always on the lookout for new and interesting exhibitors.

Village water conservation efforts continue throughout Aileu

Over the past 6 months following the Aileu PermaYouth Camp 2023 held in Remexio in June, many village and sub-village communities in Aileu Vila and Lequidoe have been motivated to undertake their own water conservation works.

Their work has also been inspired by the success of similar efforts by communities in Remexio and Laulara prior to the 2023 Camp.

Some of the communities that have recently built water retention and groundwater re-charge ponds and check dams across streams are Besilau (Sucu Aisirimou), Lerelute and Beremanleu (Suco Saboria), Taiblor( Sucu Bandudato), and Sucos Lahe, Lausi, Fatubossa and Bereleu.

Friends of Aileu, the Aileu Anan Association the Aileu University Students Association and Remexio Youth NGO KLO, will continue to support local communities in this important work in collaboration with Permatil Global, Permatil and the newly established PermaYoutth Association Timor Lorosae.

Some public works in Aileu

Some of the public works being undertaken in Aileu during 2023 included major renovations to:

• The Dom Baumeta Garden opposite the Aileu Hospital
• The Timor Klaran public meeting hall (former Portuguese armoury)
• The Portuguese era Administrator's house
• The Sabraka Laran Garden opposite World War II Massacre Memorial.

A waster holding and transfer facility has also been constructed at Lausi.  This should improve the management of waste collected from Aileu town and reduce the impact of the wate disposal on the local community.

More modest scale works, such as the improvements to water supply and reticulation undertaken by BEE Timor-Leste E.P., some involving university students undertaking their estasio (vacation work experience), are also notable indicators of positive developments in Aileu.

National Youth Parliament

Since 2009, every two years 2 young people between 12 and 17 years of age are elected by their community in each Administrative Post (Sub-district) to serve in the National Youth Parliament (Parliamentu Foisa'e).

The main mission of the Youth Parliament is to become informed about community policy in an educational way, gaining information and practice.

At left are photos of the 130 new members from Timor-Leste's 65 Administrative Posts receiving their tomada daeposse (investing of rights and responsibilities), and seated in the front row, 7 of the 8 Youth Parliament members from Aileu's 4 Administrative Posts.

Aileu University Scholarship Program

Of the 20 recipients of support through the Aileu University Scholarship Program, 9 are graduating in 2023. 

Of these 9 students 3 (Eva Paulina Cuca, Florinda Jesus de Carvalho and Lucas da Costa Barreto), who were about to graduate in ICT at the Institute of Business (IOB), received the final instalment of tuition fee payment from Jose Valente, Secretary of the Aileu Friendship Commission, and Commission member Mrs Maria Diamantina Martins on 11 December.

At left are all 6 of this year's graduates from IOB with Jose Valente at the graduation ceremony on 19 December.

Baucau Teachers' college scholarship students 

During 2023 Friends of Aileu also covered the tuition fees of 7 young people studying for Bachelor of Teaching and Bachelor of Education at Baucau Teachers College.

They have all completed their studies for the year.  Zeferino Simoes Mendonca, Maria Ratu da Fatima and Alarico Matus, who have completed Year 4, and Zacharias Pereira da Conceicao who has completed Year 3, have also presented their monographs, and will graduate in early 2024.

On 13 December, 4 of the scholarship students (Alarico Matus, Aniceto Martins, Maria Ratu da Fatima and Zeferino Simoes Mendonca and Angela Mendonca), and 2 others from Aileu (Victor Da Costa and Zeferina dos Santos), met with the Secretary of the Aileu Friendship Commission to discuss their progress and future internship options.

The Aileu Resource and Training Centre's Kadalak Dame Garden and Manu Casa projects

The Kadalak Dame work began as a dream to develop a place for personal and group reflection and productive gardening activities shared between Sister Rosalva Sandi, the staff of ARTC and Aileu Parish Catechists.

Over the period 2026-2019 several Friends of Aileu / CERES Permaculture study groups were privileged to be invited to contribute ideas, and even a little manual labour, to the gradually emerging reality of this special place.

Kadalak Dame now functions as a vibrant place for learning about agriculture, while producing an income stream to support other study and community work. Congratulations to Joaninho, Natalia and the ARTC staff and to Mr Leopoldino and the gardening crew.

The Kadalak Dame plant nursery is also growing trees for reforestation to protect and improve springs on Mt Tataloko and Mt Tatabau that supply water for Manu Casa and other communities.

Other activities undertaken with the Manu Casa Resource and Training Centre and local community include training in improved practices for managing coffee groves and processing the beans.  This has resulted in improved yields and incomes for local farming families.

Australia Timor-Leste Friendship Network Forum

Members of the Australia Timor-Leste Friendship Network (AusTimorFN) met via Zoom on 4 December, for the first time in many months.

Representatives of several friendship groups who had visited Timor-Leste during recent months provided brief updates on their work and that of their Timorese partner communities and organisations.

There were more willing presenters than time allowed, an illustration of the health of our friendship relationships and the enthusiasm of member groups.

Nick Oats spoke about the work of a group of volunteers who had raised funds for and recently completed the construction of a new and upgraded skatepark (complete with a green crocodile motif) at Ba Futuru Peace Centre in Golgota, Comoro, Dili.

AusTimorFN coordinators, Derarca O'Mahoney and Lorainne McBride, spoke about meetings with the Minister for State Administration, Mr Tomas Cabral and his advisor Mr Abilio Caetano. 

The Minister wrote to Derarca in September, reiterating his appreciation and strong support for the work and achievements of the Friendship Groups.

More recently Mr Abilio has expressed interest in the network holding a Friendship Conference sometime during 2024. 

Initial discussion at the meeting indicated some support for such a conference, possibly to be held in May 2025, which would mark 25 years since the signing of the Statement of Principles for Local Governments Working in East Timor and the initial MOU establishing the Friendship Relationship with Aileu with Xanana Gusmao in his then role of President of the National Council of Timorese Resistance.

A face-to-face meeting of AusTimorFN members and friends will be scheduled for early 2024 to discuss the proposal for a conference in more detail.

Timor Cup 2023-24

The last few weeks have seen the Timor Cup 2023-24 thrill crowds across Hume with teams from Australia and around the world in town for this outstanding celebration of sportsmanship, friendship and Timorese culture.

Congratulations to the Northern Crocs for their victory against Darwin’s Casuarina Football Club and the Greenvale United Soccer Club who made this event a reality

Timor-Leste facing new challenges

Much has been achieved over the past 23 years through the friendship relationships between Australian communities and local governments and Timor-Leste communities and municipalities.

Timor-Leste has made great progress but currently faces a number of challenges, not least that of balancing development objectives with limited financial resources, see: Beginning the repairs on Timor-Leste's economy (East Asia Forum 18 December 2023 author Professor Damien Kingsbury).

There is still a great enthusiasm in Timor-Leste, at the national government, municipal and community levels, for the continuation of the friendship relationships.  We look forward to Friends of Aileu playing a role in supporting our Aileu friends and family as they work towards their own more sustainable future.

Messages of friendship

In the video to the left, Anne Jungwirth and Chico Dos Santos, volunteer members of The Friends of Aileu Community Committee, share some thoughts on what our friendship relationship with Aileu means to them.

Did you know we sell Wild Timor coffee? 

When you purchase Wild Timor coffee from Friends of Aileu 100% of the profits go towards supporting our community development projects in Aileu.

Caffeinate for a good cause with delicious, ethical, iconic single-origin Wild Timor coffee.

From crop to cup, these coffee beans are grown organically under ancient shade trees in Belumhato, Aileu, ethically purchased and freshly roasted in Melbourne.

You can purchase whole beans or freshly ground coffee from the Customer Service Counter at the Coburg Civic Centre, from Chris or Aoife in Merri-bek's Community Wellbeing team, or contact us by email to order in advance.